Thinking of returning to Law School

[nannerbadnanner]

My husband also recommended this. I do have an undergrad already, so going the paralegal route would probably be much easier for me and probably easier to get a job, but I'm not sure I'd be happy with that.

I guess I'm getting a little restless and I'm not really sure what I want to do. The problem is I have so many interests. DH bought me "What Color is Your Parachute" to be funny, but I think I really need it. I have seriously been all over the map on what I want to return to school for. It's been anywhere from Law to Art History to Nursing. It appears I'm answering my own question though.... I think my husband would be mortified if we racked up $60k worth of tuition bills for me to say "I have a Law Degree." I'll really have to think long and hard about whether this is important enough to me.

When I was thinking of becoming a lawyer, I went to paralegal school to get a certificate first. Several attorneys I spoke to recommended this. I didn't hate the legal profession, but I knew I didn't want to go to law school after working as a paralegal. I would highly recommend doing working in the profession first.

Even though I didn't enjoy the legal prfession, I did find that I lived employment law. My paralegal experience became a stepping stone for my job as career coach/case manager in a government agency.

 

[nannerbadnanner]

I worked for 5 years post-undergrad and then I went to lawschool full-time and graduated in 2005, 1 week after giving birth to my triplets. I went to a higher ranked (not the very top - probably the bottom of the top 1/3) 2nd tier school and am employed at a top-tier firm. I have $55,500 in loans (I paid nothing out of pocket and received no help with tuition from anyone - but did have a $7,000 a year scholarship). I had several "back-to-school moms" in my class that went to school full-time, worked part-time (as another poster mentioned there is a cap on this), and had families at home. I was always amazed at how they juggled things. I find with myself, the more I have to juggle, the more productive I am. I think the women (and men) I went to school with who had more going on then full-time studies had better time management skills.
This, however, does not mean that I disagree with the other posters who very accurately discussed the legal profession as a whole, the demands of studying, or the importance of the ranking of the school (or grades to compensate for school).

For me, I knew I wanted to go to law school and had for a long time. I had made myself wait b/c I wanted to be certain that it was the right decision and one that I was ready for and commited to. I would not have been satisfied with my life, if I had not achieved this goal for myself. I agree with the other posters who said you need to make sure this is what you want and that you are committed to it. If you are, then go for it. I studied for the bar with 7 month old triplets at home. It can be done if that's what you decide you want for yourself.

I hope you took a nice vacation after the bar exam! You go girl!

 

[NCRedding]

After DH and I had been married awhile, and had our DD, DH decided to go back to law school. He was accepted into UNC which was about an 1 1/4 hour drive one way from our home. He went as a full time student. The first two years, he treated it as a job--levaing home at 7:30 and arriving back home at 5:30. He spent the hours in between classes studying in the library, so when he was home, it was our time. The last year, he slacked off and didn't follow this schedule. I had gone to UNC Law 9 years earlier directly out of college, so I knew what he was going through.

I will say, in addition to all the other helpful posts, this was the most difficult 3 years of our marriage. It was stressful for him, and incrediblly stressful to me as I had an infant/toddler to care for without him to help during the day; I was also the bread winner, etc. He got out of law school with about $23,000 in debt (and we felt lucky that it was only that much) which we paid back in about 6 years.

There are days when we feel it was a great decision, other days we don't. Law isn't an area to get incredibly wealthy in, unless you choose to work constantly, or if you choose to be an ambulance chaser. It isn't a field you go into lightly. Think about it carefully.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
I give you a lot of credit for wanting to go to law school. My son is a first year law student at Villanova Law School and it is very demanding. He lives home since we live only about 10 minutes away and he is studying all the time. Some days he's reading for about 4 hours. He'll also come out with a lot of debt. He got a full academic scholarship to Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County so he doesn't owe anything for his undergrad. You'll have to really plan and manage your time with a family. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[dunnhorn]

I would first ask yourself WHY would you want to go to law school?

If it is to seek justice, and truth for the oppressed, then consider becoming a paralegal. You will get all of the satisfaction and none of the responsibility that will give you ulcers and keep you awake at night. However you will be in an industry where you can directly help folks... and lets face it, lawyers are a dime a dozen but good paralegals are worth their weight in gold. I have seen situations where the happiness of the paralegal happiness was on a higher rung than the new associate. Plus if you ever get sick of being a paralegal, well you can always just do something else. With lawyering - you are either a lawyer or you are not. There is not much "halfway" about it, considering the investment of law school.

If you want to be a lawyer to make money, forget it. You will work 2-3x what you think you will to make that buck. You can NEVER take off the lawyer hat... you are a lawyer 24-7-365 worldwide. Whenever I fly, I tell the person sitting next to me that I am a life insurance salesperson because I do NOT want to hear about their divorce and how they were screwed by their lawyer.

If you want to be a lawyer to have great opportunities and the potential for a moderately fulfilling flexible career, making an average salary and eventual autonomy, then go for it. I actually think that lawyering is one of the best careers out there (especially for women), and I hope both of my children go to law school.

I practiced insurance defense for about 12 years working for "the firm" and "the corporation" and I left the corporate cheese race to hop on the mommy track. Even though it was scary - it was much easier than I ever imagined. I now have several PT lawyering gigs, and I earn more than I did when I worked for one employer FT - yet I never miss a ball game or school play. Anyway - love that part of it.... but it took years of hard work to get here.

Best of luck to you -

 

[dunnhorn]

I would first ask yourself WHY would you want to go to law school?

If it is to seek justice, and truth for the oppressed, then consider becoming a paralegal. You will get all of the satisfaction and none of the responsibility that will give you ulcers and keep you awake at night. However you will be in an industry where you can directly help folks... and lets face it, lawyers are a dime a dozen but good paralegals are worth their weight in gold. I have seen situations where the happiness of the paralegal happiness was on a higher rung than the new associate. Plus if you ever get sick of being a paralegal, well you can always just do something else. With lawyering - you are either a lawyer or you are not. There is not much "halfway" about it, considering the investment of law school.

If you want to be a lawyer to make money, forget it. You will work 2-3x what you think you will to make that buck. You can NEVER take off the lawyer hat... you are a lawyer 24-7-365 worldwide. Whenever I fly, I tell the person sitting next to me that I am a life insurance salesperson because I do NOT want to hear about their divorce and how they were screwed by their lawyer.

If you want to be a lawyer to have great opportunities and the potential for a moderately fulfilling flexible career, making an average salary and eventual autonomy, then go for it. I actually think that lawyering is one of the best careers out there (especially for women), and I hope both of my children go to law school.

I practiced insurance defense for about 12 years working for "the firm" and "the corporation" and I left the corporate cheese race to hop on the mommy track. Even though it was scary - it was much easier than I ever imagined. I now have several PT lawyering gigs, and I earn more than I did when I worked for one employer FT - yet I never miss a ball game or school play. Anyway - love that part of it.... but it took years of hard work to get here.

Best of luck to you -

 

[texdisneygal]

Way too many people go to law school for the wrong reasons. Some realities of the profession:

2. Lesser ranked schools don't cost that much less than higher ranked schools. Your debt will be just as bad but your ability to find the job to pay it off will be diminished.

3. The majority of legal jobs pay lousy. The notion of a 6 figure legal job being the norm is a myth. If you live in a big city and you went to a top 25 law school you can get that sort of job. Otherwise, many legal jobs start in the $30,000 range for new graduates.

4. There really is no such thing as a "lifestyle" firm. If you are working for a firm there will be constant demands on your time. Working full time is usually working time and a half. Working "part time" is usually working full time.

Sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but if you aren't able to finance a law school education without loans, it's good to know what you are getting into.

State schools are frequently much less expensive than private schools, and a good state school will not diminish your career prospects.

Another thing that you must consider is what do you do if you do not pass the bar exam? Unfortunately, there were several people from my class who did not pass the exam (and you are limited, at least in Texas, as to the number of times you can take the exam). They were left with thousands upon thousands of dollars of loans and no ability to practice law.

Regarding "The majority of legal jobs pay lousy." - I completely agree!! I cannot tell you how many people are shocked at how little most attorneys are paid!!

As to the prior poster's comment about no such thing as a "lifestyle" firm, I have to disagree somewhat. While many attorney positions require ridiculous amounts of time, there are many smaller firms (in my area anyway) that are "family-first" types & have reasonable hour requirements. However, you are paid accordingly. Since having my daughter I have started to work on an hourly basis & only go into the office 2 days a week.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

My DH is currently working fulltime during the day at a lobbying firm in Washington,DC and goes to law school in Baltimore every evening. He works very hard and so do I (staying at home w/ the kids). Law school is being financed by his parents, thankfully...so we won't have loans when its all said and done. He is third year now and has one year left to go. It has been tough...but nothing is impossible...If you want to do it- go for it.
J

 

[dunnhorn]

State schools are frequently much less expensive than private schools, and a good state school will not diminish your career prospects.

Regarding "The majority of legal jobs pay lousy." - I completely agree!! I cannot tell you how many people are shocked at how little most attorneys are paid!!

While many attorney positions require ridiculous amounts of time, there are many smaller firms (in my area anyway) that are "family-first" types & have reasonable hour requirements. However, you are paid accordingly.

Totally agree on all of these - Generally places of employ either CARE about where you went to law school, or they DON'T CARE. Either one. It is hard to go to law school targeting your employer on the front end, so if you are going later in life and for flexibility, I would recommend to consider the least expensive state school in the region... chances are they have a huge alumni network that will be willing/able to mentor and network for you as well. Take advantage of that because it is valuable.

Also, don't underestimate the ability to contract... I have several friends from law school who have done nothing but contract work since they graduated. Some even contracted at places like King & Spalding... not as fulfilling because you're doing boring stuff like records review - however it is very flexible and it pays something like $40 - 60 an hour with little hassle.

 

[amarberry]

lawyers are a dime a dozen but good paralegals are worth their weight in gold. I have seen situations where the happiness of the paralegal happiness was on a higher rung than the new associate. Plus if you ever get sick of being a paralegal, well you can always just do something else. With lawyering - you are either a lawyer or you are not. There is not much "halfway" about it, considering the investment of law school.

This is very, very true. I had always planned to go to law school following undergrad, but just before my senior year I started having some reservations. Instead of spending a $100,000 (which is what tuition and living expenses would have cost) figuring out if I wanted to be a lawyer, I enrolled in a top tier paralegal certificate program at Georgetown University. I figured that I could dip my toe in the legal water and see if it was right for me and, if I did decide to go to law school, the paralegal program that I was in was a good "pre-law school" curriculum.

It turned out to be a very good fit for me because if you are smart, work hard, and prove yourself, you will be treated and compensated quite well. Depending on the level of responsibility that you have, it is not a stress free career, but you certainly don't have the threat of malpractice looming over you. In my last position before I "retired" (to be a SAHM), I was working in house for a major corporation managing litigation. I had more responsibility and made significantly more money than some recent law school graduate friends who worked for small firms.

The down side of being a paralegal, IMHO, is that no matter how hard you work, the only way to advance at a certain point is to go to law school. I found that working at a large corporation offered a lot of opportunities outside of the legal department that the more senior paralegals could move into to advance their careers further, but after a certain point as a paralegal there are just no more promotions to be had.

Another down side is that there are some really bad paralegal jobs out there. My last job and a job that I had at a large firm were great. They were challenging, interesting, etc. Paralegals were highly regarding and utilized efficiently. However, I did have a horrible job at a smaller to mid sized firm where I was hired as a "paralegal", but basically expected to be a secretary whose time they could bill out. Not cool since I'm the world's worst typist and also since the job was sold to me as a true paralegal position, so watch out for that. I spent a miserable year working for that firm.

If you are seriously considering law school, I highly recommend looking into being a pursuing a paralegal career for a couple of years to see if it is the right fit for you. I have had other friends who gone the "paralegal discovery" route only to quickly move to start law school. I have a lot of lawyer friends who have said to me that they wish they had done what I did (especially moms). Law school is too expensive to use it as a time to figure it all out.

Good luck. If I can help you in anyway, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Juliet25]

I might be able to offer some advice.

I'm currently returning to school for my master's in English. I work 32 hours a week for a research department of a state school, so I get 75% off tuition. That's really important to me -- I don't want any more debt!!! Luckily, my DH's job allows him to get off at 4:45 to get DD before daycare closes, and we have MIL nearby to help. If that wasn't an option, there'd be no way to swing it.

My DH is a lawyer. We got married when he was a 1L. We **stupidly** passed up a full scholarship to a state school and went to a private school. In those days (2000-2003), we were paying $24000 in tuition his first year and about 26000 in tuition by the end. he had a $45k scholarship, but we still ended up with $73k in law school debt (did I mention we were stupid???).

So, my point is, law school tuition is really expensive. My DH's school now charges $33k/year. Let me tell you -- paying off those loans is extremely difficult. We're only paying interest, and we've maxed out the amount we can deduct from our taxes...and we have a low fixed interest rate of 3.5%. Think long and hard about the financial committment.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it. If it's what you really want to do, then go for it. Just go for it at an affordable school (preferably a state school). A part time program would be ideal.

 

[Juliet25]

It's been anywhere from Law to Art History to Nursing. It appears I'm answering my own question though.... I think my husband would be mortified if we racked up $60k worth of tuition bills for me to say "I have a Law Degree." I'll really have to think long and hard about whether this is important enough to me.

LOL. You sound exactly like me! I'm 30 and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up!

 

[grlpwrd]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I'll ask here anyway.

I'm thinking of returing to school after several years. My kids are going to school in September and I've always had an interest in law. Anyway, has anyone returned to school after being out for so long with a young family? (I'm in my mid-30's) I'm the type of mom that focuses everything around my kids and am a little hesitant that school will take away from them too much. My DH said to go for it, and I really want to but I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle everything.

I guess I'm not sure what I'm looking for, perhaps just throwing the idea out there for others that have similar stories to share (and not necessarily law school stories...any type of school).

thanks

I have the same aspiration. I am currently enrolled in 2 classes at a community college, I have 5 kids, I have 2 businesses, and my dh works in Baltimore. I have 9 more classes until I transfer to a university here so I have quite a bit of time left.

I think besides $$$, time management and family support is going to be the two top challenges. My dh is willing to do his part by then because I have been supportive of his career since the 1990s. I don't think I could do it without his support.

My family and friends in Hawaii include many lawyers and I am familiar with what being a lawyer entails. I am familiar with the profession and I have a network when it comes to finding a job. (Not a brag - it's the way I have to do it in Hawaii in order to find a job and survive.) I gauge myself by asking what do I want to do in 5 years, 10 years, and so on. I cannot imagine life not going into law. It's my life goal. Perhaps ask yourself what you see yourself doing over a period of time, too. That might help give you some direction.

I am older now - I turn 40 in May. I am going to be 50 one day and regardless of what my career aspiration is I still will be 50. I may as well be doing something I love. Maybe you can think about it that way, too.

When I have time , I frequent the boards at www.nontradlaw.net . There are many people like us who want to go to law school later in life. Good luck to you!